USWNT World Cup star Naomi Girma and her family have a truly inspiring story.
Now a defender for the San Diego Wave, 23-year-old Girma's journey to World Cup stardom starts back in Ethiopia.
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Her father, Girma Aweke, was originally from the East African nation but fled the country to escape warfare.
In an appearance on the My Favorite Futbolista Podcast in July, Girma explained: "[Aweke] and the younger generation, they were not putting up with it. They were fighting, and he had to flee the country.
"I'm older than when they left, which is so crazy to me."
Her mother, Seble Demissie, also emigrated from Ethiopia, but in her case, this was to further her education.
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Demissie and Aweke went on to have two children, Nathaniel and Naomi.
Aweke went on to start the Maleda Soccer Club in San Jose, California, aimed at providing coaching for the area's Ethiopian community, as per The Equalizer.
Girma explained that her father "created that environment for me, and making it such a fun and safe space for me to fall in love with soccer.
"I always say it's the most low-pressure environment you could imagine. Half of the kids didn't like soccer. I was there having fun."
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In 2010, she joined Central Valley Crossfire where she would eventually spend seven years developing her game, following in the footsteps of the likes of USMNT star DeAndre Yedlin and Meredith Teague who previously played in the Women's German Bundesliga, as per their website.
Girma also starred for Pioneer High School in San Jose, graduating in 2018 before heading for Stanford.
In four years with the Cardinals, she won the NCAA Championship, was twice a Pac-12 Champion, was a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-America first-teamer, a two-time Pac-12 Defender of the Year, and once was named the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in symbolic systems, Girma began to pursue a Masters in Management Science and Engineering.
In December 2021, Girma took the next step in her career as she was selected first overall in the NWSL Draft by the Wave.
Four months later she made her USWNT debut against Uzbekistan and has since gone on to make seventeen appearances.
Now Girma has headed for Australia and New Zealand where she is a member of her first World Cup squad, having previously represented the U.S. in two Youth World Cups.
This marks something of a full circle moment for Girma, who told The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2021 that she had always been inspired by the USWNT.
"I was inspired by the (women's) national team.
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"The national team, to me, seemed like the highest level to achieve as a women's soccer player.
"Especially the U.S. National Team and how much success they've had over the years — and how they’ve been dominant throughout the world. That was really cool to see growing up."
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